On what it takes to start a story about becoming one of the most famous game companies not only in the CIS, but also the entire globe? Perhaps we start as much in 1978, it was in that year, April 18, was born in Kiev, the founder and director of GSC Game World Sergei Grigorovich. The first three years he lived with his grandmother in Donetsk, and then - in the capital. Understanding the game industry began a fairly early. Sergei's parents, saving money from passbook, purchased a computer (his father worked as an adjuster apparatus in the military electronics factory, and his mother - a journalist). Sergei and his father and brother were so engrossed computer games that over time they have accumulated quite a lot of them.

Once Sergei went to radiorynok for diskette, which would be 50 games. At that time, if the player acquires a floppy disk, the search for new toys could be suspended. But Sergei found only two retail sites that sell them to a floppy disk, and they cost 70 rubles, and the games they found only the old ones. He also had such toys that are on the market did not come across. Then Sergei understood: it has something that no one else, so - on this you can earn. So there was a unique offer.

Grigorovich took a loan from his friend, Anton Bolshakov (now the second person in the company's manager and head of game development series of STALKER), 200 rubles, which he gave to my mother's birthday, added a bit of their savings and bought a pack of floppy disks. Bilateral floppy then cost 500 rubles. But Sergei managed to buy a defective one-sided in just a penny, and yes even formatted them so that the volume did not differ from the bilateral. So he began to write games on floppy disks and sell them on the radio market. One day Sergey sold about 10 floppy disks and brought home 350 rubles. The business that is obsolete and Grigorovich came to the conclusion that it was time to invent something new.

After high school, Sergei twice tried to continue his studies, but did not work out - or refused to institute the student or the student refused to bite himself studied. After school, he entered the Kiev Polytechnic Institute on a specialty "electronics" - a year later he was expelled. Then Grigorovich enrolled in "economics" in the International Science and Technology Institute - and then he left after the first semester.

Even in the classroom programming at the Lyceum next head of the company GSC Game World realized that domestic computer software is no worse than Western. There is the following decision: it is necessary to develop something of their own and sell abroad. But it remains "something" to develop and start to try to sell in our market. Sergei Grigorovich drew the first logo of his company's future in 1993. Already in 1995 he, together with a group of young enthusiasts founded the company GSC Game World. While they did not think about such popularity that has now. GSC very first in the CIS have begun to translate the game for the PC to the Russian language. This work started off as an illegal character, but brought both Ukrainian and Russian computer community many benefits. The first localization Sergei made himself at home for the night and decided that you want to find a publisher. For this, he went to Moscow. Brought first one publisher (now in the top five publishers in Russia), he refused to buy. Grigorovich, then went to another publisher, who is also now in "Top 5". That it was he who bought it. Since then, the company began to actively engage in localizations. Their own record - 26 games for the month. This experience gave an opportunity for small proektikah learn project management, which lasted from one day to six months. It was a good school, enabled it to create a giant.

GSC in the Russian language was transferred to such hits as Duke Nukem 3D and Blood. Grasp the familiar and intuitive for developers genre RTS, in 1998, GSC has already finished its first non-profit game - WarCraft 2000: Nuclear Epidemic on the basis of its own, powerful at the time of the engine, we relied on the basis of "Cossacks." In early 1999 the guys have posted it for free download on the Internet. In parallel, finalizing a draft DoomCraft, which literally half a year later was closed. In addition, the already started development of "Cossacks."

Today in Kyiv office GSC Game World has about 150 people. Some of the areas, in addition to development, includes publishing, and very creative Ukrainian developers familiar far beyond the former Soviet Union.

About GSC Game World

Founded in 1995 by a group of young enthusiasts, headed by Sergei Grigorovich, who heads it today. The first in Ukraine began to translate the game for P into the Russian language, which resulted in Ukrainian and Russian "computer" community of immense value. First of all, this has resulted in creating and maintaining a high awareness of players and programmers on the industry mainstream. example, translation GSC such hits as "Duke Nyukem 3D» George Brussarda and Todd Riplodzhla, "rov" Nick Newhard became paradigmatic. In addition, programmers GSC did hack engine legendary game "Warcraft" Semvaysa Didier (Blizzard Entertainment), making it a number of significant improvements.

Structure of GSC Game World

A company like, say, and the film industry, structurally represents several creative teams working on each of their game, and - "serving the" common to all services (public relations, testing, sales, etc.).

In October of 2004, GSC Game World opened a publishing division of GSC World Publishing.

February 11 company GSC World Publishing, as promised, first reported on the results of operations. During its short existence is still publishing division of the famous Ukrainian developer has released two Title The - "Alexander" and "Cossacks 2", so that almost all the calculations are based on their performance.

So, the question that is stronger than other troubled present at the press conference (not a word about "Stalker!) - Circulation. As the situation on 1 January 2006, sales of "Alexander" in the CIS amounted to little more than 152 thousand copies, 17% of them are in Ukraine. Circulation "Cossacks 2" on the same areas over 265,000, of which the country broke up about 20%. First a title sold 5 blocks, the second - 3, but in this case is not important, since 60 to 80 percent of the final edition ships in a quarter (in the case of "Cossacks 2" has shipped 180,000 copies in its first month only). The dynamics of the same in Russia and Ukraine. It should be understood that the present system of distribution, when the wholesalers do not return unsold copies, the volumes of shipments and sales volumes can be easily equated.

According to the Head of Sales GSC World Publishing Sergei Grushko, future sales of high-profile titles curve becomes steeper, and this will lead to what is already a year long to keep products in the line will not be profitable - up to 90% of sales will be done in the first month, and some time later, the game will disappear from stores and from the shelves. Again, it is a loud untwisted games - those who are eagerly awaiting customers.

Of another interesting statistics worth noting the following figures. Development budget "Alexander" and "Cossacks 2" - $ 330.000 (for 10 months.) And $ 750.000 respectively. The Western edition - respectively 220 and 188 thousand. On game servers were 23 and 11 thousand people.

Let's move on. An interesting situation was with the promotion of "Alexander" and "Cossacks 2". In the first advertisement of the game was spent about 9,000 dollars, nearly half of them - on advertising pages in the press profile. Promoting the second "Azakov SI" GSC cost more than 78,000, and 30,000 spent on a major tournament, held - and quite successfully - in conjunction with the publishing house "Gameland. According to Sergei Grushko, these investments themselves are not very justified: it is enough to compare the difference circulations at the margin of advertising budgets ("Alexander" is a bit of the same name helped the film, however, and a "Azakov SI was his trump card - famous first movement). His role was played by such a factor: "The Cossacks" - a national, if I may say so, the product and, therefore, initially planned for a certain amount of advertising investment in Ukraine, aimed not only at increasing sales, but on edakii massage patriotic feelings. This, in particular, worked in advertising ievskom station and a huge video board.

After analyzing the results of the survey of buyers "Alexander" and "Cossacks 2" (sent and processed about 8000 questionnaires, which, although not provide a representative sample, still can draw some conclusions), Sergey concluded, inter alia, that advertising in the media profile does not virtually no effect. Including the fact that the CIS had not yet learned to do. However, it will still need to give, he continued to provide financial support for journals. Why? ac show the questionnaire, a quarter of cases, decisions about buying a game influenced by the publication in gaming publications (not reviews, and publication in general), so that the meaning of help magazines have. That they were financially independent from one or two publishers and objective (in this - popular), as well as to simply be. In addition, advertising in the press affects the regional dealers - so they can roughly estimate the expectations of the publisher for a specific title.

A separate - and quite so little - some three hours of the report was devoted to the current yield of the publication of games in the CIS and the inevitable looming crisis. In short, everything is bad. Average circulation falling, cost of man-hours increases the chance of "recapture" the costs in the domestic market with the same organization of production, respectively, all lower. According to forecasts by Sergei in the next year or two local publishers finally stop wondering projects that are made under license and the licensed engine, are not sequels or are not in beta version (which is made on their own or borrowed money from the developer). To survive in this situation will help, according to assurances speaker, cross-platform development, MMORPG, and orientation to the needs of the western market. Completed projects last category GSC for a small proportion of offers to publish in Europe and the United States, promising developers for $ 7 with copies.

Finally - about the plans of the publishing house. In April, the addon will be released to the "Cossacks", which GSC intends to sell copies from 70.000 to 120.000 copies in the CIS. 4 September will be released "Heroes of Annihilated Empires" - the first game of the trilogy. The minimum expected circulation of games CIS - 140-150 thousand, realistic - 200000, optimistic - 300 000. The pessimistic scenario, in Europe are expected to sell at 35-60 thousand copies.